Currently power distribution within an array of active electronic circuits located within or adjacent to an antenna is achieved using a “star” topology, i.e. a pair of wires (positive and ground) is connected from the power supply to each one of the active electronic circuits individually. For 16 antenna elements this results in 16 pairs of (relatively) high-current wires being required. These wires are also often flexible and therefore require insulating throughout their length which adds to the weight and cost of the wires.
The European patent application 0 323 169 describes a power distribution system for a phased array radar. The power distribution system includes a large number of small capacitors, at least one per module, a lesser number of large capacitors, at least one at each end of each row, and bus bars dimensioned for a very small radio frequency (RF) impedance for supplying peak power in a timely manner to the modules from the large capacitors. The European patent application 0 323 169 A2 describes a hierarchy of the power distribution system and an interaction between the various components of the power distribution system. The bus bar described in EP 0 323 169 A2 is a multi-layer laminate, i.e. a printed circuit board (PCB). The multi-layer laminates of the required size are expensive and have a high weight.